How was the food on your holiday?

How many of you put on weight on your holidays?

How many of you have spent months learning how to eat healthily, retraining yourselves to manage your nutrition only to decide it doesn't matter while you're on holiday?

It doesn't have to be that way!

We decided a year ago, as a family, to eat paleo.  We cut out wheat, sugar, starchy carbs, dairy, legumes and processed food.

We eat meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

This has changed our lives.

We could have gone on holiday and reverted to norm and feasted on easy quick foods: pizza and ice cream, croissants and bocadillos and beer and crisps and puddings.  We made a decision before we went to enjoy ourselves but to try to stick to plan as much as possible.

We stayed with my lovely mother-in-law and her equally lovely partner so we were able to cook for ourselves and our hosts were really accommodating when they cooked for us and made sure all the meals they provided were paleo!  I appreciate not everyone is going to be this lucky on holiday.

The most important thing we did in order to maintain our paleo ways as much as possible was to plan our meals, breakfast lunch and dinner and to make an effort when eating out to try to choose paleo options.

Now, I'm not saying no profiteroles, ice cream or chocolate was consumed but we did keep it to a minimum.  One of the major shifts was alcohol.  I managed just one sangria all holiday and only drank sparkling water the rest of the time.  My husband had a few glasses of wine but no more than one or two with his evening meal.  The kids, unfortunately, did have the odd coka and limonada.

The rule for the kids is that they eat paleo the vast majority of the time when I am in charge of the meals but they can choose what they want when we eat out - this is to try to avoid them going crazy when they are older and food is up to them - we'll just have to wait and see how that turns out!

Anyway, here are some of the things we ate while in Calpe this summer.

BREAKFASTS:

Made with creamed coconut, eggs, grated lemon zest, ground almonds and sultanas.

parma ham, egg, cucumber and watermelon

Bacon and eggs with pepper and watermelon

post-run breakfast in the seafront restaurant - French omelette with bacon and salad

banana pancakes with berry compote and pineapple

Paleo cookies made with creamed coconut, ground almonds, egg and chocolate chips - with coconut milk - paleo cereal to keep the kids happy.

mashed banana with scrambled eggs and berries and creamed coconut

Daddy pancakes - a bit of a cheat - oats, cottage cheese and eggs - good with marmite.

LUNCHES:

Tuna and egg mayo with lettuce, peaches, watermelon and pink grapefruit

tarragon chicken, apricots, watermelon and grapes

ham and cheese, lettuce, cucumber and watermelon

We had lunch at an all-you-can-eat Chinese, which was delicious but potentially dangerous!
Zack, my eldest went unbelievably crazy - it's astonishing how much an eleven year old can put away!  Any way - I went a little loopy with the dessert...all in all, 4 slices of watermelon, 4 profiteroles with chocolate sauce, lychees, some pink fruit that was similar to lychees, and a creme caramel!  Lunch was sweet and sour prawns, mixed seafood, cucumber, seaweed and pickled cabbage.

baked salmon, apple, peaches, lettuce and watermelon

with lettuce, avocado and watermelon

DINNERS AND SNACKS:

This must have been day 8...

Chicken and salad - an easy dinner - just ask for no chips!

Sardines and salad - sparkling water but chocolate crepe for afters!

Orange and almond dark chocolate naughtiness!

One glass of sangria - so delish!

Mixed grilled fish and salad - ask for no chips.

Ready salted crisps...a couple of days running

A mini magnum!  I had two of these on different days.

We didn't eat perfectly but it could have been a lot worse.  We didn't put on weight.  

If you are on a diet and your holiday is the end game, you will undo all your good work and either give up when you get home or have to start again.  Alternatively, see your healthy eating as a lifestyle change that is forever, then holiday should be no different to your normal routine.  You just need to remember to plan and be mindful.  

PART TWO

Having said that I get my motivation through cheating, this deserts me during school holidays!

I have a fully equipped gym in my garage that has everything I need, from free weights to TRX bands and a power tower but I cannot get motivated in there.  I haven't found a cheat that really works.

This is not too bad during half term that lasts for a week.  A week is sometimes just what your muscles need for a complete rest and recuperation.  I often go back to the gym after a week off stronger and more motivated than before.

But during the 6 week summer break, this is a TERRIBLE thing!

So I was determined this summer not to let all my hard work recently go to waste.

We took out TRX bands with us to Spain, when we went to spend 10 days with my lovely mother-in-law.  I took the opportunity to run with my husband in the mornings when it wasn't too hot, along the beach and we did some mini workouts on the beach to keep everything ticking over.

Here are some ideas for how you can keep up your fitness levels without access to a gym while you are on holibobs!

Remember to cheat your motivation, however you can!

Body weight exercises:

Keep your hips mobilised and strengthen your outer thighs with 20 reps on each side 3 times.  Keep your foot flexed and make sure the only joint that moves is your hip.

Strengthen your tummy muscles and the difficult-to-target lower abs with this move - start with legs flat on the ground, hands under your bum, head and shoulders off the ground.  keep legs straight as you rasie them to vertical then, without moving your legs backwards, push your bum into the air then lower your legs to an inch off the ground.  Repeat for 10 reps three times.

Tone your abs some more with this. Keep your legs at right angles and lift your head and shoulders off the ground.  Keeping your arms straight, roll your shoulders back down the the ground and up again - really squeeze your tummy muscles as you come up.

Keep your bottom pert and tight and strengthen and tone your thighs with the best exercise going!  Make sure your feet are shoulder width apart, feet parallel - don't let your toes point outwards - keep your back straight - if you can go lower than thighs horizontal with keeping your back straight and not rounding your shoulders, then that is great.

Keep your core, bum and hamstrings strong with this exercise - keep your knees together and hold for a count of ten on each leg, three times.  Lift your hips as high as you can, keep your shoulders on the floor.

Develop core stability with the plank,  Keep your abs tight, squeeze your bum and don't let your back sink or stick your bottom in the air.

Strengthen your arms, shoulders and chest with this brilliant exercise - the humble press up.  If you find this too hard, start on your knees - once you have become a little stronger, try the downward movement on your toes, then come onto your knees to come back up and repeat like that.  These ecentric phase press ups will help you to strengthen your upper body better than knee press ups.

We also took TRX bands with us to Spain and so after our early morning run of around 3 or 4km, we found a great frame to attach the bands to to add some extra resistance to our workouts.

Triceps dips on the frame.  

A run along the beachfront with some plyometric jumps added in

Rows with the TRX

Russ, post-run.

High rows with the TRX

Chest press with the TRX

Chin ups on the frame

It's not impossible to workout on holiday - but honestly, I found it hard.  It was hotter than I'm used to and I missed the free weights and the squat rack.  I'm not a fan of running but I used the opportunity to run with my husband while the kids played on the beach. 

We did a lot less than we normally do but we were on holiday!  However, this was the first summer, since starting my fitness journey 3 summers ago, that I really missed the gym.  

If you want to keep it up on holiday - try some of these to keep you ticking over.

Oh, and don't forget to stretch!

Thanks to my kids for taking photos of me! xx

Holiday Workouts and the Secret to Becoming Motivated

PART ONE

I am possibly one of the last motivated people I know!  I'm a prevaricator, a procrastinator, half-arsed and frankly lazy.  I may get myself to the gym 5 days a week for at least an hour or two but I don't consider myself dedicated or hard-working.  

Here's how I manage to be actually pretty lazy but still workout nearly every day.

When I was a primary school teacher, we taught maths very differently to how I was taught in the olden days.

(Bear with me here!)

We taught children to cheat.  

We showed them all those little methods and ways round things we employ as adults which enable us to effectively manage numbers in our heads, even if we don't consider ourselves to be mathematicians.

This approach to teaching maths helped me to realise I wasn't actually useless at maths after all. When I use the little tricks and techniques to help me solve problems or find the total, I am technically cheating but this is OK.

So long as the end result is the same and you understand why you got there, how you get there doesn't matter!

Developing motivation is no different.

I'm not motivated - 

what I am is a good cheater!

I have managed to collect a plethora of cheats to get me to the gym even if I don't really want to go -  I have found ways to encourage me to keep going, even if I would rather be doing something else.  

This is the secret to motivation - nothing else.

I don't believe many of us are genuinely self-motivated - whatever it is we don't want to do, be it housework, finishing paperwork, stock-taking, washing the dog, whatever, we find ways to get off our arses and do it anyway.

• I get myself to the gym because I am vain.  I like how I look when my muscles are strong my clothes fit me.  
• I get myself to the gym just by putting on my gym clothes in the morning and driving to the leisure centre.  Once I'm there the training just happens.
• I get myself to the gym because I have discovered how much better, how much more in control and how much more powerful I feel for being fit and strong and healthy.
• I get myself to the gym by telling people that's where I'm going - I'd feel silly saying I'm a regular gym user if I couldn't back that up.
• I get myself to the gym because I have made an effort to talk to people there (that in itself is hard for someone like me - I'm not very brave or bold) and it's now a pleasant place to go where I feel welcome and at home.
• I get myself to the gym because it has, over time, become what I do.  I feel uncomfortable if I haven't been for a while; my body misses the endorphins, my mind misses the intrinsic reward of a job well-done.
• I get myself to the gym because I've become a bit selfish about it.  It's time for me where I can forget about everything else and focus.
• I get myself to the gym because I am enjoying learning new skills .
• I get myself to the gym because I decided to change my life and this is what it takes.

I'm not motivated, I just find ways to keep me on track when I don't want to.

This doesn't mean I hate working out and have to force myself to do it - I don't.  I love it.  But sometimes, just like the uber-tidy or the super-organised, I have to find cheats to keep me on track.

I wasn't a confident mathematician as a child.  I'll never win a nobel prize for maths as an adult but I am now confident in my ability to solve the problems I need to solve.

I wasn't fit or healthy until 2 years ago.  I'll never win a gold at the olympics now but I keep beating my personal bests and I'm fitter, stronger, healthier, more powerful and more confident than 20 year old me and if I have to cheat to get those results, then so be it!

FitClub

This post isn't just for my FitClubbers, it's for anyone who can't get to the gym or their normal classes over the summer for whatever reason.

These body weight exercises should keep you ticking over, whatever your level, until you can get back on it in September!  If you want to make any of these harder there are several things you can do:
1     Increase the number of reps that you do
2     Increase the number of sets that you do
3     Slow the exercises right down
4     Add more resistance by holding weights.  If you don't have weights, 1 litre milk bottles weigh about 1kg.  Tin cans aren't heavy enough to make any difference.

Have a look also at the Exercise Videos page for demonstrations of how to do a lot of the basic exercises.

I will try to get some more videos up this weekend that you can do as well.

Make sure you set a regular time to do these, that way you are more likely to keep up with them - if you do them as and when they are more likely to wane.  Every morning, just after you get up, just before you go to bed or while you listen to the Archers (or is that just me...?)

Daily 5 Minute Tick-Over

Wall Press Ups

Incline Press Ups

1     Press Ups - whichever type you do, against the wall, on your knees, incline, regular or handstand.  As many as you can do in one go.  Record the number.  Add one more each day.

Knee Press Ups

Regular Press Ups

2     30 seconds of air squats.  Make sure you push your knees out, keep your chest up, weight in your heels so you can lift your toes.  Add 5 seconds each day.

There are two ways to squat.   Start with the first one and as your hip mobility increases, start trying to get lower.

1     Sit on a chair with your feet shoulder width apart and parallel.  your calves want to be almost vertical.  Lean forward a little, maintaing the natural arch in your lower back, keep your chest up.  Make sure the weight is in your heels and stand up, pushing your knees out to the side as you do to avoid your knees collapsing inwards.  To com back down, bend your knees slightly, maintaining a straight back, don't let your shoulders slump forwards and push your bottom back, hinge at the hips and put your bum back onto the chair.  progress onto doing this without the chair.



2     Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet parallel.  As you squat, drop down rather than pushing your hips down so once your bottom is below your knees, your ankles hips and shoulders are almost all in line.  Keep your chest up, you should feel this in your mid to lower back.



Daily 10 Minute Tick-Over

1     Press Ups - whichever type you do, against the wall, on your knees, incline, regular or handstand.  As many as you can do in one go.  Record the number.  Add one more each day.

2     30 seconds of air squats - make sure you push your knees out, keep your chest up, weight in your heels so you can lift your toes.  Add 5 seconds each day.

3     Triceps dips - do these with your knees bent on the bottom step if your stairs to begin with, progress onto a chair, each time you do them lengthen the lever your legs make by straightening them out. Progress onto doing them with your feet up at the same height as your hips on a bench or chair.

4     Back extensions -  Lie on the floor on your front with your arms out to the side in a T position, thumbs pointing upwards.  forehead facing the ground, lift your chest and legs of the ground and hold for a count of 5.  Do this 5 times.  Move your arms into a Y position and do the same.  Then move your arms to your ears in an I position and do the same.

Daily 10 Minute Pulse Raiser

Do 60 seconds of each exercise with no rest between them.

1     Skipping - if you don't have a rope or you get tangled up easily, just use an invisible rope!  This gives you the opportunity to do some right fancy moves too!  Ha ha.

2     Plank - stop when you have to, if you have to, rest only for as long as you need to do it again.  Work up to 60 seconds without a break.

3     Air squats - arse to grass - get your bum as low as you can - back straight, arms out to the front, heels on the ground, push your knees out to the side.  Record the number you do.

4     Press ups - do as many as you can in the time.  Rest when you have to but only as much as you need.  Record the number you do.

5     Mountain Climbers - Make it harder by lifting each foot off the ground as it comes forward.  Record the number you do.

Do two rounds of this to torch calories and build strength and endurance.

Daily 5 Minute Core Stability Circuit

1     Plank - as long as you can do - record your time and try to increase it each time you do it.

2     Curls - on your back, feet off the ground, knees at right angles, hands across your chest.  Curl your spine up and tense your tummy, specifically your lower abs.  Do as many as you can, record the number and try to increase this each tome you do it.

3     Heel touches - lie on the ground with your knees bent.  Try to reach for your ankle bone rather than twisting your shoulders to the side so much.  The further your ankles are away from you the harder it is.

4     Leg raises - Lie on your back, hands under your bum to protect your lower back, legs straight.  Lift them up to vertical and dow to an inch above the ground.  Do as many as you can - record the number.  Make it harder by lifting head and shoulders off the ground.


5     Flutter Kicks - Lie on the floor, hands under your bum, legs straight.  Take one ankle over the other.  the higher your legs are off the ground the easier it is.



Do one, two or all of these workouts daily to keep your fitness and strength levels up over the summer break!

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